Spanish cooperation believes that democracy is a universal value based on the right of people to choose their own political, economic, social and cultural systems.

Democratic governance is based on the right of people to choose their own path toward sustainable development; it focuses not only on the performance of the institutions, but on their legitimacy. To this end, it takes an approach based on rights which are attributed to all. In this respect, Spanish cooperation proceeds by recognising the right of people to reach sustainable development; to reach this, institutions must guarantee that people have access to basic services, can exercise their political rights and enjoy gender equality, while respecting the sovereignty of the countries where it operates and the international framework of the Human Rights Declaration.